The votes, called “anti-woman” by one advocacy group, continued on Friday with a House Courts of Justice subcommittee defeating the Whole Woman’s Health Act. Sponsored by Del. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, HB 1231 stated that, “A pregnant person has a fundamental right to obtain an abortion.”

The subcommittee also killed a bill by Del. Debra Rodman, D-Henrico, to remove what Democrats see as medically unnecessary barriers to abortion access. HB 450 sought to repeal the statutory requirements that a physician obtain a woman’s written consent and perform a transabdominal ultrasound before an abortion.

On Thursday, a House Commerce and Labor subcommittee voted 5-3 along party lines against advancing Boysko’s HB 1089, which required equal pay for equal work, regardless of sex.

“By voting against equal pay for equal work, the message to Virginia women is loud and clear: Our lawmakers in Richmond do not consider us first-class citizens,” said Patsy Quick, co-president of the American Association of University Women of Virginia.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that in 2016, Virginia women working full time made 80 cents for every dollar made by men—a pay gap of 20 percent. As bad as this is, it is even worse for women of color,” Quick said.

For every dollar earned by a white man, black women make about 63 cents, Latinas 54 cents and white women 78 cents, according to a news release from Progress Virginia, a liberal advocacy group.

Progress Virginia and other advocates also criticized lawmakers for killing two bills introduced by Sen. Jennifer Wexton, D-Loudoun:

SB 709, which sought to eliminate such requirements as a waiting period and an ultrasound before undergoing abortions. The Senate Health and Education Committee killed the bill last week at the sponsor’s request — a move sometimes made when a bill has little or no chance at passage.

SB 421, which would have required private employers with 50 or more workers to give full-time employees paid medical leave. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee killed the bill Monday on an 11-4 party-line vote.

By Jessica Wetzler/Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia’s community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.